Peace to all on Memorial Day

No sales this week

The weather has been terrible lately, and quite often when I arrive at a yard sale ... it's not there.  Or rather, because of the rainy weather, the person putting on the sale has closed up.

That's always a disappointment because at least I made the effort to come to their sale.  But I can understand that if it's cold and dank, you wouldn't want to be huddled in your garage or under a tarp on the hope that one or two people will show up.

This week Mr. Ivy and I have a house guest, so no sales for me.  But my best friends will go to the yard sales without me.  They have my list--they know what I like, so I'm hoping I get a call around lunchtime tomorrow from one of my friends saying, "We got you ...."

I'm crossing my fingers.

In the meantime, June 4th is usually the big street sale in Lyons.  That's my favorite sale of the year and I'm hoping it's still on, because not only do I usually find some nice bargains, but one of the houses sells fried dough.  Yum!  Not good for the waistline, but comfort food for the soul.

I'll let you know!

The Quest

Can it really be three years since I gave up my booth in the antiques arcade?

Of course, my booth was never as cool as I wanted it to be.  First of all, I never had the money to invest in the kind of stock I wanted to sell.  And there's no guarantee if I had better stock that I would have had better sales.  (Many of my co-op neighbors had the kind of stock I wanted to sell, and they weren't doing any better than me.)

I bought most of my stock from garage/tag sales.  I used to start shopping for stuff I could resell in early April, going to any and every garage sale.  With the price of gas, I haven't been to many sales this year.  But this weekend, we did make the rounds.

It's painful not to be able to buy the stuff I normally would.  I saw so many vintage orange juice glasses in mint condition for a quarter (which were guaranteed to sell for $2.99 each...eventually), and jewelry, and dishware, and Pyrex and....

These days I "shop" for other things.  My family puts in requests and I go find them.  My mother collects hankies with crocheted edges.  Got two of them for her on Friday.  Mr. Ivy wanted a meat tenderizer.  Got one of them.  For myself, I'm looking for blue plates.  (I'm decorating a bedroom and have chosen blue and white plates.)  Found a really old one for a quarter and, even better, a bag of plate hangers (at least 15--they're a bit tangled) for $2.

A portion of my booth was devoted to used books.  I can't stop looking at all the titles when I walk into a sale, and Saturday I found something I've been looking for for about a year:  a beautiful hardcover edition of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (illustrated by Tasha Tudor) for fifty cents.  (I've already read half of it.  I'd seen two movie versions of the story, but never read the book.)

And then the holy grail of my searches:  1950s "Made In Japan" Christmas figurines.  First up, a Santa & Mrs. Claus sitting on a see-saw music box; wind it up and it plays "Jingle Bells" while the Santa and Mrs. bop up and down (for $2).  And then at the North Rose Ladies Auxilery sale at the fire hall, a duplicate of what started my collection about 15 years ago:  a Santa and reindeer "candelabra" that spells out NOEL.  Now, do I really need a second one?  Of course not, but it was only a buck.  In mint condition--IN THE ORIGINAL BOX!!!!!!

In all, I spent less than $10, but boy, what cheap entertainment.

What are you looking for at tag sales and flea markets?

Time to hit the yard sale trail . . .

And the garage sale season is on!

Yesterday I had to run an errand to return something to a friend, so I decided to drop by a rummage sale on the way.

Unlike other years,the church decided that they needed to make a LOT of money, and so priced just about everything high.  They had many willing customers,so I guess they didn't need much of my cash.  Unlike other years, where I've spent up to $12 -- yesterday I spent a measly $2.35.  I bought . . .



I've seldom spent more than a buck for a theorem painting, but the picture was so pretty and the frame was lovely as well that I decided--what the heck--and shot the wad of $2.  I also bought a 10 cent fan and a set of shoe laces for a quarter.

I pulled out of the parking lot and headed south down the road and soon found another sign.  As it happened, the sale was next door to the home I grew up in.  Sadly, that house has not been treated well.  Weeds choked the yard.  The yard lights hung broken from the brickwork, and the brick flower boxes were in major disrepair.  I wanted to cry to see the home my Dad made so many wonderful improvements to falling apart, with even a broken window on the garage.

But I went on to the sale and bought . . .



I've got plans for these beauties.  Herbs on my kitchen counter.

I also bought a Christmas figurine.  The original price of 79 cents was written in grease pencil, crossed out,and a new price of 59 cents was written on the bottom.  I paid 25 cents for her.  She's going to join the choir of other figurines in my china cabinet.



I also bought a water bowl for my darling felines for a quarter and a square plate with Colonial figures.  (Did I mention that I collect square plates?)



So now here's the group shot. I spent a grand total of $4.35.  Not too shabby.



What was the last thing you bought at a yard sale?